Abu Dhabi: "I wish to become a famous person"; "I wish to own a house"; "I wish to become an engineer" ...
Similar wish lists on pieces of white paper are pasted on the glass doors of the classroom. One note at the entrance reads: "Nothing can stop me from studying."
This is a very different classroom in an unexpected place. It is in a prison.
In this part of the Al Wathba Prison nobody is treated like a prisoner, whether they are drug addicts or murderers. Here they are just students.
"The rest of the jail and the classroom are two very different places ... It is a nice feeling to be able to study and mingle with others in a freer environment," M.Y, a prisoner, told Gulf News.
The Al Wathba Prison started offering educational courses to Emirati prisoners last year.
It was the first prison in the country to offer an educational programme called the Work Readiness Programme to help prisoners reintegrate into society.
Core subjects
It is a two-year course run in association with the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT).
The five core subjects are English, maths, Arabic, computer skills and work skills. Those who successfully complete their courses will be offered suitable jobs when they are released.
Gulf News was granted rare permission to see life behind bars.
Inside the classroom a dozen students are keenly taking notes as their tutor gives an English lesson. They wear special uniforms when they attend classes.
A little assurance and encouragement from the tutor helps break the ice. "Be free ... tell them how bad the classes are," jokes the tutor.
Having attended the course for almost two semesters, M.Y. says he already feels different and is eager to find a job when he completes his jail term.
He has been in jail for more than three years.
"I feel time flies since I joined the course," he adds.
M.H., another prisoner, says the courses are a great opportunity.
"The hours I spend here make me feel I'm closer to getting back my freedom. It will be a new start for all of us. The way the teachers deal with us is very encouraging. We are treated with respect."
Brigadier Yousuf Abdul Kareem Al Ahmad, the Manager of Corrections and Prisons Administration, says the programme gives prisoners a new lease on life. Classes run from 9am to 3pm every day.
The prisoners have access to the internet and also a library.
The programme was implemented following instructions of Lt Gen Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Minister of the Interior.
"Our mission is to make them realise that life is not over and there is hope for those who stumbled into a life of crime," says the soft-spoken brigadier.
Prisoners who complete their jail term before completing the course, may continue at any Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) campus.
Yassine Hajfassi, the HCT coordinator of the classes, is highly enthusiastic about the programme.
"It is a beautiful idea and a golden opportunity. The results so far are promising." The first batch is expected to graduate by February next year.
"Initially, the prisoners sit for an entrance exam. Following the exam, each prisoner is interviewed and based on his prior education and skills we evaluate the level where he could be placed," explains Hajfassi.
In the staff room the only female teacher, Rola, who has 14 years experience, says: "This is my first experience teaching prisoners. They are extremely well-behaved. I could never find this in the schools where I used to teach."
